1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to animal dwellings and in particular to portable, cratable multi-function dwellings adapted to comfortably and safely house an animal such as a dog.
2. Description of Prior Developments
Small buildings for housing and protecting animals are well known and have been in use for many years. For example, wooden dog houses have been fabricated in various configurations to suit the needs of a pet living in a particular climate. Although these structures serve their purpose adequately, the wood construction results in a heavy product which is ill-suited for shipping. Moreover, wood is subject to rapid deterioration from the elements and generally requires considerable construction effort to cut and assemble the numerous wooden structural elements which form a conventional dog house.
In recent years, injection molded plastic animal shelters have appeared which are generally resistant to weathering and which facilitate assembly. Nevertheless, additional needs have remained unmet by these conventional designs.
In particular, a need presently exists for an animal shelter which provides a protected open air resting area for a pet such as a dog.
Another need exists for an animal shelter which is particularly adapted for facilitating the house training of an animal and which can be internally partitioned to ensconce the animal by means of one or more sliding walls to limit the movement of the animal during house training.
Still another need exists for an animal shelter which provides substantial internal ventilation, and in particular, cross ventilation for cooling an animal during warm weather.
Another need exists for an animal shelter which facilitates internal cleaning and which directs cleaning and flushing liquids such as hose water to a rear external portion of the shelter.
Another need exists for an animal shelter which includes integral food and water containers formed during molding of the shelter.
Another need exists for an animal shelter which provides a simple, inexpensive leash mounting.
Yet another need exists for an animal shelter which is assembled from modular components which provide various shelter configurations using a common base.